Aristide Economopoulos/The Star-LedgerEarl path heads to the Jersey Shore: People could just soak up the sun at the beach in Ocean Grove since the water was off limits due to heavy surf today. The Ocean Grove Beach had the waters closed to swimmers because heavy surf caused by hurricane Earl.

EARL PATH — Hurricane Earl's projected path left homeowners, vacationers, businesses and emergency workers all along the Jersey Shore watching, waiting and hoping for the best today as Hurricane Earl churned its way up the East Coast.

Earlier tonight, the center of the hurricane was 440 miles south of Atlantic City, and although the storm had weakened from a category 3 to a category 2, it still was packing sustained winds as strong as 110 mph. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated 26 million people from North Carolina to Maine could face hurricane or tropical storm conditions, based on the projected path of the storm.

The outer bands of Earl are expected to brush the southern Jersey Shore at about noon Friday and rapidly move north toward the eastern end of Long Island by late in the evening.

However, coastal communities in Cape May, Atlantic and Ocean counties could start feeling some sustained tropical storm-force winds as early as Friday morning, the National Weather Service said. The entire Jersey Shore should brace for the possibility of tropical storm conditions, including up to an inch of rain and winds stronger than 50 mph during the early afternoon and late afternoon.

READY FOR THE STORM:

• Local officials: County and municipal emergency management offices are ready to implement emergency evacuations and open emergency shelters in the event the storm hits harder than expected.

• Power utilities: PSE&G and JCP&L have power line repair and tree removal crews on standby, supplies stockpiled, additional equipment and trucks prepared, and contingency plans to bring in crews from other states if needed for power failures.

• American Red Cross: The Jersey Coast chapter has packed five trailers of emergency supplies — including cots, comfort kits and blankets — ready to be deployed to any shelters in New Jersey should they be needed during the weekend.

• State Police: The agency is staffing its Regional Operations Center with representatives from several state agencies, including the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, to call in those resources as needed.

In advance of the storm, the Cape May County Office of Emergency Management tonight issued an emergency disaster declaration that essentially puts the entire county on alert and activates emergency crews in each municipality. The declaration allows local authorities to close roads and open emergency shelters, if those steps become necessary.

Dennis Feltgen, a spokesman for the National Hurricane Center in Florida, said the winds hitting New Jersey could become powerful enough to down trees and power lines, and the 1- to 3-foot swells in the surf might cause some local flooding.

"There’s a six-hour period where you could get moderate rain," said State Climatologist David Robinson, adding that after the hottest summer on record and one of the driest summers in more than 100 years, the state could use the rain.

The good news for Garden State residents: the rapid speed of Earl should minimize the damage. "It’s going to be out of here by Saturday," Robinson said. "It’s going to be a delightful weekend."

Just the threat of Earl, however, may well cause New Jerseyans to delay their holiday weekend. Which is why transportation officials expect many drivers to stay put Friday and wait 24 hours before hitting the roads for Labor Day outings.

"I think Saturday is going to be heavier because you got people who would have left Friday along with people who were planning to go Saturday," said Joe Orlando, a spokesman for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

Despite the improved weekend forecast, the surf will probably remain high and rip currents could remain dangerous Saturday, keeping people out of the water at most beaches along the Jersey Shore.

"It looks like there could be a washed-out day," said Doug Parise, supervisor of lifeguards in Seaside Park.

Swimmers were restricted to getting their feet and ankles wet in Seaside Park today, Parise said, and state officials closed Island Beach State Park to all swimming and surfing both Thursday and Friday. Other municipalities will decide over the next 48 hours if swimming will be permitted, but most beaches expect to be open to swimmers tomorrow.

Shore restaurants and retailers expect to be open as well, and ready to cash in on the three-day holiday.

"I’m full for the weekend," said Chester Sherel, manager of the Angel of the Sea bed-and-breakfast in Cape May. "I haven’t had a cancellation. We had one couple just walk in and take a vacancy, and now I’m booked," he said today.

Still, New Jersey officials were not taking Earl lightly. Power companies JCP&L and PSE&G stockpiled repair supplies, placed crews on standby and readied plans to deploy additional equipment and workers from as far away as Pennsylvania and Ohio.

For several days, emergency offices from the State Police down to individual municipalities have been making preparations for the storm, just in case its track moves closer to the shoreline.

"All the plans are pulled out and dusted off. We’re staying in constant touch with the weather service," said Lt. James Manley of the Monmouth County Office of Emergency Management.

Robinson, however, said Earl has been "a pretty well-behaved storm. It’s been pretty much going as expected. It would take a radical change to give us hurricane conditions."

Hurricane Earl brings wind and waves to the Jersey ShoreHurricane Earl is already making waves at the Jersey Shore. The coast has been put under a tropical storm warning and big surf kept many out of the water on Thursday. Meteorologists predict the hurricane will bring rain on Friday, then leave behind sunny skies and lower temperatures for Labor Day weekend. Those lower temperatures could be a relief, or could put a damper on some people’s Labor Day plans. (Video By Adya Beasley / The Star-Ledger)